Spanish Cedar questions.

KingoftheCove

I'm planning Bucketidor #2, which will be designed to hold bundles, mazos and loose sticks.
I'd like to line the inside of the bucket with Spanish cedar
There's "Spanish cedar" available (left-overs, odd cuts, etc.) on eBay, and some of the pieces look like they would be perfect for my idea.

I contacted one of these sellers and asked him about the cedar, and he said it was Spanish cedar, but, that it did have a strong odor.

So my questions are:
1) Are there different kinds of Spanish Cedar?
2) Could it be that the Spanish cedar on eBay is "new" wood, and thus has more of an odor?

Part of me would like to use the eBay wood, but the strong smell worries me.....mild cedar odor is probably OK, but a strong odor worries me.
(Even though it will be more labor intensive, maybe using cedar from old cigar boxes is still the best option?)

Comment& suggestions appreciated

The_Kid

It wood worry me too, Not to say the guy is misrepresenting, but one of the reasons why spanish cedar is used vs american cedar is because american cedar is stronger (too strong) smelling than spanish cedar. Buyer beware. Just curious ...Why didnt you post this is your bucketdor thread? Also there are a bunch of existing threads regarding spanish cedar, Lots of good info.

xmacro

Go to your local crafts or lumber store - an 8ft x 6" board will run you about $30, with an extra $20 to cut it any which way you'd like

KingoftheCove

xmacro:

Go to your local crafts or lumber store - an 8ft x 6" board will run you about $30, with an extra $20 to cut it any which way you'd like

good idea (duh!) - for some reason I didn't even think of the lumber store - thought it was some kind of special wood

xmacro

Oh, it is - spanish cedar's only real use is for humidors, but you'd be surprised at how many lumber stores carry it

jlmarta

I'm both a woodworker and a tightwad. If it were me, I'd line the inside with pieces from old cigar boxes - for a couple reasons. It would probably be cheaper and the strips of wood, placed vertically, will fit the curve of the bucket.

jr_p951

Spanish Cedar is tough to find in sheets. I had to get a company out of Florida to ship it here to Cali. If you need that contact info, I can send it over. They supply B&M's with Spanish Cedar for their walk-in humidors. I'd def be weary if the ebay seller says it has a strong aroma. If figured I spend enough money in cigars, I should build the drawers for the winedor out of known good Spanish Cedar.

laker1963

xmacro:

Oh, it is - spanish cedar's only real use is for humidors, but you'd be surprised at how many lumber stores carry it

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Cedrela

Cedrela odorata foliage

Cedrela is a genus of seven species[citation needed] in the mahogany family Meliaceae. They are evergreen or dry-season deciduous trees with pinnate leaves, native to the tropical and subtropical New World, from southern Mexico south to northern Argentina. The name is derived from a diminutive form of Cedrus (cedar).

Species

Cedrela fissilis Vell. - Costa Rica south to Argentina Cedrela hirsuta C. DC. - Paraguay Cedrela huberi - Argentina[1] Cedrela lilloi C. DC. - Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador Cedrela montana Moritz ex Turcz - Colombia, Ecuador Cedrela odorata L. (Cedro Hembra) - West Indies and from 24°N in Mexico south to 28°S in Argentina Cedrela salvadorensis Standl. - Central America Cedrela tonduzii C. DC. - Central America

Cedrela odorata is the most common species in the genus, widespread in seasonally dry tropical and subtropical forests; it is deciduous in the dry season which may last several months. C. lilloi and C. montana occur at higher altitudes in moister conditions, and are evergreen or only briefly deciduous.

These additional names have been published, but are not now accepted as distinct taxa (see Pennington & Styles 1981): C. angustifolia, C. balansae, C. barbata, C. boliviana, C. brunelliodes, C. ciliolata, C. discolor, C. febrifuga, C. guanensis, C. mexicana, C. oaxacensis, C. occidentalis, C. pacayana, C. paraguariensis, C. rosei, C. rotunda, C. saxatilis, C. sintenisii, C. steinbachii, C. velutina.

Some authors take a wider view of the genus, and include the related Asian - Australasian genus Toona in Cedrela.

[edit] Uses

Cedrela tubiflora Cedrela odorata is a very important timber tree, producing a lightweight fragrant wood with very good resistance to termites and other wood-boring insects, and also rot-resistant outdoors. The wood is often sold under the name "Spanish-cedar" (like many trade names, confusing as it is neither Spanish nor a cedar), and is the traditional wood used for making cigar boxes, as well as being used for general outdoor and construction work, panelling and veneer wood. Note that it is now CITES -listed. It is also grown as an ornamental tree, and has become naturalised in some areas in Africa, southeast Asia and Hawaii. The other species have similar wood, but are less-used due to scarcity.

xmacro

^ I stand corrected Everytime I ever walked into a lumber store asking for it, the clerk asked me how big a humidor I was building, so I assumed it was only for humidors

KingoftheCove

jlmarta:

I'm both a woodworker and a tightwad. If it were me, I'd line the inside with pieces from old cigar boxes - for a couple reasons. It would probably be cheaper and the strips of wood, placed vertically, will fit the curve of the bucket.

yep - think that's what I/m going to do - I started pricing this stuff - I sure can't find it at $30/sheet (4x8) - closer to $100
Now I just need to figure out the best way to fasten the cedar strips to the sides of a plastic bucket.

Russ55

I wonder if it would be possible to get some really thin Spanish cedar sheets? Thin enough that you could shape it along the walls of the bucket. Kind of like how some cigars are cedar wrapped, but on the inside of your bucket. Maybe cut out a little circle for the bottom. I don't know, just a thought. Might be too expensive.

jlmarta

KingoftheCove:

jlmarta:

I'm both a woodworker and a tightwad. If it were me, I'd line the inside with pieces from old cigar boxes - for a couple reasons. It would probably be cheaper and the strips of wood, placed vertically, will fit the curve of the bucket.

yep - think that's what I/m going to do - I started pricing this stuff - I sure can't find it at $30/sheet (4x8) - closer to $100
Now I just need to figure out the best way to fasten the cedar strips to the sides of a plastic bucket.

Again, if it were me, I'd use a polyurethane glue similar to Gorilla Glue but I'd try to keep it near the center of the strip being glued because it has a tendency to foam out of the edges of glued pieces and it's difficult to remove the foamed-out part. This glue will have an odor but that's not an insurmountable problem. I made the mistake of using an epoxy paint to paint some shelves I made for my coolidor and even after a week of drying and curing the odor was still there. I solved the problem by leaving an open box of baking soda sit in the coolidor for a few days to a week. Problem solved.

CAcigarguy007

Since you are very near me we don't have many options. You can go to woodcraft or you can order it from Rockler. Rockler might be cheaper once you factor in gas/time. I use a thin sheet of spanish cedar from a box of Pepin made Troya Classicos and it provides all the Cedar aroma that I require for my Rubbermaid-bin-a-dor.

laker1963

xmacro:

^ I stand corrected Everytime I ever walked into a lumber store asking for it, the clerk asked me how big a humidor I was building, so I assumed it was only for humidors

I remember when I first read about "Spanish Cedar" and found out it is really just a type of Mahagony, blew me away.
Guy must have been a BOTL.